


Song of the Sea

by Kuuttituutti



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alcohol, Almost Drowning, Angst, Arguing, Comfort, Controlling Behavior, Drinking, Elves with tails, Emotional Manipulation, Fear, Gen, M/M, Minor Injuries, Past Abuse, Sazed's and Taako's marriage has seen better days, Selkies, Talking, Weddings, cursing, fear of drowining, kravitz is a selkie au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-04-14 14:30:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14137992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuuttituutti/pseuds/Kuuttituutti
Summary: "Selkie: A seal with an human form. Male selkies are described as being very handsome in their human form. They typically seek those who are dissatisfied with their lives, such as married men waiting for their fishermen husbands. To get selkie to contact with you, you must first shed seven tears in to the ocean"





	1. Seven Tears

Taako slammed the door behind him as he ran in to the pouring rain. He could hear Sazed yelling something, but he just muted it out. He cared as much of Sazed’s yells as Sazed cared about Taako’s happiness. So, not that much in Taako’s mind. 

”Fuck!” Taako repeatedly whispered to himself between his ragged breathes. The thunder roared above him once again and and a streak of lightning lit up the dark sky. His bare feet slipped on the muddy road, sending him face down in to a puddle.  
”Oh come on!” Taako whimpered, trying to wipe some of the mud from his white pants. They were ruined. His hair was no better, wet streaks of it getting almost glued to his cheeks. There was nobody nearby, but Taako was still grateful that it was impossible to tell, where the raindrops started and where the tears ended. 

Taako stood up again, still continuing his aimless running down the hill where his and Sazed’s small cottage stood. He looked over his shoulder to the top of the hill. Yellow, warm light tried to lure him back to the cottage, where Taako could change back to warm clothes, eat something sweet and curl up next to his husband who would compliment him and love how…

No. Taako reminded himself. He hated Sazed. Fuck Sazed. 

***  
Taako’s lungs were screaming for air when he finally stopped at the edge of the dock. He tried to calm himself, leaning on the rail of the deck. Rain was only getting harder as Taako fell to his knees, holding the rail knuckles white. Taako didn’t dare to open his eyes. He would only see the roaring sea around him as the waves hit the deck. Taako could feel shivers running down his spine. It was cold and rain didn’t make it any better. Taako stood up with wobbly legs, still leaning on the rail and panting heavily. The sea seemed furious at him, big waves splashing on the deck and on Taako. And Taako was furious at the sea. The sea had already taken him his sister, and every month it would take his dickhead of a husband, only to return him a week later so that he could bother Taako. Taako screamed as loud as he could, tears running down his cheeks. The sea answered by splashing another big wave to his feet. 

Taako just cried on deck, shouting how his life sucked and how he just wanted his sister back. He kind of hoped Sazed would have heard his shouts and come look for him, but no. It was just Taako, the sea and the roaring thunder above him. Taako shouted again, his voice drowning in the thunder. The tears rolled on his cheeks and there to ocean. Just more salt to the sea, Taako thoughts, smiling weakly. Then something caught his eye. 

The streak of the lighthouse hit the big stones near the shore. On one of the stones sat… a man? Taako wasn’t sure, it could have been just a seal or some other creature, and it was hard to see in the rain anyway. The light hit the stones again. Now Taako could see clearer. It was a guy, just chilling on the rocks, in the middle of the raging sea.  
”Hoooy!” Taako yelled, trying to get the man attention. The man didn’t seem to notice him at all, they just stared at the sea.  
”What the fuck are you doing there!?” Taako continued shouting. He knew that Sazed’s fishing nets were there, it would be bad if the stranger would get caught in them. Who the fuck goes midnight swimming in a middle of a thunder storm anyways? He got curious.  
” Fuck!” Taako whispered as he started to carefully jump from rock to rock that almost made a path from the shore to the bigger boulders. The rocks were slippery and Taako really had to concentrate on keeping his balance.  
”Hey thug!” Taako shouted again. This time the man turned his head and Taako froze. The lighthouse’s light hit man’s face and in the next moment blinded Taako. 

He was beautiful. The most beautiful man Taako had ever seen. Black skin with white spots almost shimmering in the light. 

Thunder roared again and the sky turned white as the lightning struck. As Taako tried to stumble forward in the blinding light, he could only yelp helplessly as the sea decided to make his life miserable once again. Taako could feel the force of the wave that hit his body, how he lost his balance and fell to the black currents below him. He tried to fight against it. Taako desperatey tried to make his way back up, but the he was now totally on sea’s mercy now. And the sea didn’t seem to appreciate the way Taako had yelled at it. He felt a numb pain on his forehead and saw a streak of red rising towards the surface with bubbles, before everything went dark.

***  
Taako coughed violently, and threw up. He could taste nothing but salt on his lips. Something warm had been wrapped around him. It felt like some sort of fur. Taako opened his eyes lazily. His eyelids felt heavy and his vision was blurry anyway. He was laying on his side on the the shore. The thunder above him had subsided, leaving behind only an ice cold drizzle.  
”Where…who?” Taako muttered to himself, trying to sit up. He was trying to get the hair from his eyes when he was suddenly reminded of the cut on his forehead. Stinging pain made him whimper quietly. He tried to find out if the cut was still bleeding, but instead felt something that had been wrapped around his head. The strands of kelp had been used as makeshift bandages.  
”Gross…” Taako whispered, trying to remove the bloodstained seaweed from his head.  
”Don’t touch it!” someone commanded, adjusting the kelp back on it’s place. ”It should stop the bleeding”.  
Taako screamed and tried to move away from who ever the freak was.  
”Don’t be afraid, I’m just trying to help” the man said. His voice was gentle and calm. Taako calmed his breath when he finally got to look at the handsome man closer. His face was even more beautiful up close, strands of wet hair framing the worried smile on his face. But his eyes sent shivers down Taako’s spine. They were golden, almost shimmering in the dark.  
Too many thoughts were running through his head. Too many questions. What had happened? Who was this naked stranger and why the fuck had he been in the sea in the storm? Why had he saved him? But from all these kind of rational and good questions, he could only blurt out one that was bit more bizarre.  
”Am I dead?” Taako whispered, feeling his breath getting faster again. The man looked confused for a moment, but then started to laugh quietly.  
” No, I think we are both still very alive” they smiled, and Taako wrapped himself tighter in the the warm fur. He now noticed the empty head of a seal on his lap and the flippers laying beside him. He was wrapped in a silvery skin of a seal.  
”What …who the fuck are you?” Taako asked.  
”People usually call me Kravitz” he smiled. Kravitz. What a beautiful name, Taako thought. The man leaned closer, adjusting the kelp bandages. Taako leaned closer to his touch. His hands were cold, but gentle as they put another kelp around Taako’s head, trying not to touch Taako’s sensitive ears. 

”Taako! Where are you?”  
”Sazed” Taako sharply whispered as he saw the light of a familiar lantern. Kravitz stood up and unwrapped Taako from the seal skin, before running to the waves. Taako just sat on the wet sand, watching as a silvery head of seal looked at him one more time, before getting swallowed by the black water. 

”Taako! Taako are you alright?” Sazed huffed as he yanked Taako up from the sand. Sazed quickly wrapped his husband in a coat.  
”You shouldn’t run off like that! You don’t even know how many people get swept to the sea in a weather like this. You really can be an idiot sometimes” Sazed laughed. Taako stared at the ocean, trying to look for the seal.  
”And what even is this?” Sazed asked and started to remove the kelp. Taako quickly slapped his wrist.  
” What was that for?!” Sazed yelped, just now noticing the small dribble of blood that had seeped through the sea weed. Sazed grabbed his arm tightly and started to run back to top off the hill, cursing Taako’s clumsiness. 

” Are you feeling better honey?” Sazed asked as he wrapped his arms around Taako’s waist.  
” I’m fine” Taako murmured, trying to squirm a bit. Sazed had made him take a bath and had gotten him clean clothes. He had cured Taako’s wound, and after that wrapped him in to a blanket and carried him to their bedroom. Everything a loving husband would do.  
”I love you” Sazed whispered in to Taako’s ear, before blowing out the candle on their night stand. Taako pretended to have already fallen a sleep, feeling how Sazed placed a small kiss on his forehead, before snuggling next to him. Taako didn’t want to answer. He didn’t feel like lying today.


	2. After the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Storms are usually followed by calm mornings

” How are you feeling Taako?” Sazed asked, hugging Taako tightly. Taako wrapped his arms lazily around the waist of the tiefling and sighed.  
”I’m sorry babe. I don’t know what got in to me last night” Taako laughed quietly in to Sazed’s shoulder. Sazed chuckled and carefully looked at the small bruise on his husband’s forehead. One long curl hid it pretty good.

”You must have hit your head pretty bad. Do you remember anything about last night?” the tiefling asked, walking towards the kitchen. There was a strong scent of coffee in the air. He remembered. He and Sazed had argued, again and he had run off. He had ran to the dock and then Kravitz…  
”No, I don’t think I remember” Taako sighed, sitting down on the chair. Sazed mumbled something and poured a cup of black coffee to Taako and himself. Taako thanked his husband, wrapping his fingers around the warm cup.  
” You talked in your sleep again honey” Sazed muttered, spreading the newspaper on to the table and started to read.  
”What did I say? Something fun?” Taako smiled, taking a big gulp of bitter coffee. Sazed smiled to himself, before raising his eyes from the paper.  
”Your usual gibberish. Something sounded like ”Karavi” or something. Oh and at midnight you turned your head and just shouted ”Seals!”. I tried to keep my voice down, but let me just say, it was hard” Sazed giggled. Taako stared at his coffee cup.  
”Seals?” he whispered, ears perking up a bit.  
”I have theory. What if you saw a seal and tried to pet it and got swept to the water? That’s something that you would do” the tiefling laughed and took a closer look at the paper. Taako joined the laughter, carefully tapping the bruise on his forehead.  
”Clumsy me”, Taako whispered in to the cup, drinking the last drop of the coffee. Sazed folded the paper in half and stood up. He gave Taako a small kiss on a forehead, before walking to the door.  
”I’ll go to the market. You need anything?”  
”No, I think I’ll manage. And I can always go to the market myself if I need something badly” Taako smiled, stretching his hands, before reaching for the newspaper.  
”Okay honey! And please, go and get the nets. There could be a lot of fish there after the storm. Love you bye!” Sazed yelled, before closing the door with a small slam.  
”Bye” Taako hummed, eyeing the paper, trying to see what had caught his husbands attention.

A news article of a local artist who had started to make necklaces of seashells. They had become become a popular hit in the mainland, and people were excited to see if their small island would finally get some long awaited attention. An advertisement for stronger nets. That was probably the thing that had caught Sazed’s attention. Taako sighed and turned a page. Leaning his head on his hand he started to read one of Barry’s articles. He smiled weakly. He really liked his brother-in-laws writing style. This time he had written his usual stuff of rising tides and upcoming storms, warning people not to let their kids to wonder too close to the shoreline and taking care of their ships. Noticing the small text in the bottom of the article, written in cursive and careful letters, Taako quickly turned the pages.

It had been another year already. How many had there been now in total, twelve? Taako didn’t even bother to remember. It was not like anything had changed. He still missed her and Barry was not doing any better either, still writing his stupid poems in the end of his articles. He closed the paper throwing it to the weaved basked holding their fire wood. If Sazed had already seen the most important advertisements, he didn’t see any reason to keep the paper on their kitchen table any longer. Taako walked back to their bedroom, pulling a pair of grey shorts from their wardrobe. He changed his shirt to a brown sweater, a one where he didn’t care if couple bloodstains landed on it. After braiding his hair and grabbing the knife from the counter, Taako stepped outside.

Couple grey clouds still sailed on the sky, but the sun was shining. A pleasant breeze flew by as Taako walked to the deck. On the hill, Taako could see that Sazed had let Garyl out of his stall to pasture with their small hoard of lambs. Taako made a mental note go buy some oats later that week. Sazed had already thrown some hay for the animals, but most of the lambs seemed to be more interested in the fresh green grass on the ground. Taako would have much rather spent his day with Garyl, brush his fur and watch the as their sheepdog which Taako called Dupree would try to get the lambs to stay in formation. Sazed called the dog with a different name, but Taako didn’t really think that the dog cared. It just liked getting his belly rubbed and getting treats. It was not like the dog was going to get them any awards in best herder competitions, but it didn’t need to. Right now the dog was sleeping near the fence, curled up next to an old ram. Taako smiled and continued his trotting down the hill, his tail swinging from side to side anxiously.

The sea seemed to have calmed down. Taako still spent a good while on sitting on the shore, trying to see if it would throw an extremely mean wave at his feet. But there didn’t seem to be any. Small waves just rolled to the shore, barely touching his toes. When he was sure that the sea had forgiven his rage, he pushed his small rowboat to the waters.

Constantly on the edge, Taako rowed quickly to the nets and started to gather them on to the floor of the boat. The small fishes stuck on the net still tried to jump out of the boat with effortless gasps for breath. Taako tried to reach for the next net as fast as he could when he noticed something. A large shape swimming just by the side of the boat. Taako froze. Even in the dark water, Taako could see the golden glimmer of the creature’s eye, as it dived deeper, only to appear on the other side of his small rowboat.

”Kra…Kravitz?” Taako stuttered as the seal lifted it’s head above the surface to breath. Half of Taako’s body was still hanging over the edge of the boat, while his fingers were tangling in the net. But his eyes were completely locked in Kravitz’s. He just stared as the seals blew couple small bubbles to the surface before it dived again, a big back flipper splashing the water, sending small waves that splashed against the boat. After taking a moment of gathering his thoughts, Taako finally pulled the last net from the water. There was not as much fish as he felt Sazed had hoped for, but enough for a week’s meals for Taako at least. Sazed would probably preserve some of the meat in salt, something that would last in longer fishing trips. Taako took the oars and started to row back to the shore. When taking a quick glance to the water, he could see Kravitz’s shape following the boat, carefully swimming just near enough, keeping a small distance.

Taako finally rowed back to the shore and pulled the rowboat to the dry ground. Kravitz stared curiously as Taako started to untangle the nets from each other, before pulling them to the deck. The knife shimmered in the faint sunlight as Taako tried his best to get the struggling fish out of the web without doing damage their gills.  
”Sorry fishies but I gotta eat” Taako murmured as the fish still tried to jump from his hand. He quickly hit the fish on the head, making it unconscious before placing it to the wooden basket he had grabbed from the rowboat.

While cutting up the fish, carefully gutting them, Taako could see Kravitz swimming in curious circles just below his feet who were dangling over the dock. Once on twice his silver fur would touch Taako’s toes, sending shivers down the elves spine.  
”Shit”, Taako cursed as his knife went straight through the fish. He was good with the knife, Sazed had made him gut up the fishes countless times, but usually he didn’t have a three meter long seal splashing it’s flipper just below his feet. Taako could still cut up the meat so it could be eaten, but there was a chance Sazed would notice his mess up and giggle for a while. Taako groaned and looked down to the water:

” You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Taako could almost swear that he saw a teehthy grin on the seals face. Taako tossed the fish to the water and the seal almost jumped up to catch the fish from the air. In the sunlight, Taako could see the white rows of sharp teeth in it’s mouth. Taako felt a shiver again, but it could have been just the water splashing againts his feet. Kravitz still seemed hungry, as he continued his swimming around Taako. Just as he was going to try the same trick, already raising his back flipper to the air, Taako made a proposal.  
”If you want more, come up here. You look pretty in your human form” Taako threw the idea to the air, watching carefully for the seal’s reaction. For a moment the seal froze in it’s place before starting to swim further away from he deck.

Taako sighed in disappointment, before bringing his eyes back to the bloody fish on his hand. Maybe that was something you should never say to a seal, human, thing. Taako took a deep breath before burying his knife to the fish’s stomach. Once again, the knife stabbed way too deep, as he flinched in surprise as the long form of the seal jumped on to the deck. Now Taako could see the seal in it’s whole length. Grey spots were scattered all over it’s back, and some whiter fur grew on it’s face, making it almost look like a skull. Taako sucked up a small breath as two hands suddenly appeared from the chest of the seal, and pulled the the seal’s face up, revealing a gently smiling face under. The same smile that had brought comfort to Taako when he was hurt and cold. That smile made him loosen his scared grip on the knife loosen.  
”Hi again. Taako was it?” Kravitz grinned. Stuck between his teeth, Taako could see some white fishbones.  
”Yeah. And you are Kravitz right?” Taako asked, letting a small breath out. The man nodded and peeled of rest of his seal skin. Taako looked carefully as the beautiful man sat down next to him, keeping a safe distant.   
”So Kravitz… _What are you_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a late update but better late than never?


	3. Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was a time when Taako was in love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty dialogue heavy chapter? Sorry about that

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I understand. You already know who I am, I introduced myself yesterday, didn’t I ?” Kravitz asked, letting his fur fall all the way down. Before he could even notice Taako’s raising blush, he quickly settled the head of the seal on his lap. It might have been a while, but he remembered well how land creatures reacted to nudity. 

“Yeah yeah I know your name and you know mine, but like… what are you? Are you like fairy folk or something. Why… why did you came here? Are you here to drown me?” Taako gulped down the lump in his throat and faced Kravitz again. He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling. Fear? Comfort? This was just too absurd. Kravitz giggled a bit, seemingly amused by Taako’s blushed face. 

“ If I wanted you to drown, I had a perfect chance yesterday. Your mother never told you about selkies?” Kravitz asked, settling his hands on to his lap. Taako’s ear flinched at the word, but his expression didn’t change.   
“Not really. Me and momma didn’t really get along to be honest” Taako sighed. Kravitz noticed how the elves tail started to draw slow circles around.   
“But it seems you are familiar with the story?”  
“ My brother-in-law told me a bit. Beautiful people who can turn into seals,right?” Taako said and threw a fishbone to the waters below. Kravitz almost jumped after it, before realizing that he would only make himself look like a fool. 

“Yeah. That’s like the basics” Kravitz said, nudging himself a bit closer to Taako, when he noticed that the elf had taken another fish from the basket and started to gut it. 

“ So, what does mister “in reality I’m a greedy seal who likes to hang around near dangerous fishing nets” does on my deck? Are here just to beg for free fish?” Taako raised an eyebrow and threw a fish to Kravitz. Even in his human form the selkie still catched the fish with his mouth. Taako let out a small laugh when the man grabbed the fish like puppy would grab a ball his owner had just thrown at him. He took a gently bite of the raw fish. It seemed that even in his human form, his teeth were still the same sharp teeths of his other form. 

“ I should ask that question from you. Like I’m pretty sure that you didn’t just call me to offer me free fish, though I’m not complaining” Kravitz smiled and took another bite. Taako could hear the sickening crunch of small bones as Kravitz continued with his meal.   
“And what do you mean by that? I think you can drop the “oh I’m a magical creature, wow at my presence”-act. I’d just like some answers” Taako groaned, feeling the blood drip down his hands.   
“ You cried seven tears in to sea. You called me and… it’s my duty to answer a call” there was a sense of hesitation in Kravitz’s voice. “And then you almost drowned and of course I had to help you but I know that wasn’t the only thing I need to do”   
“ So, you are here to help? With what?” Taako asked. Kravitz’s shoulders tensed up a bit.   
“ Well. I don’t know…”   
“ That’s okay. I don’t mind you hanging out near our deck, but please be careful. Sazed has nets all around, it would be a shame to find you one one day, all tangled up and drowned” Taako said calmly, concentrating on the fish. 

Kravitz felt lost. Taako just sat quietly splashing his toes in the water, not even looking at him. An awkward silence rain over the two men as they just stared at the black water below them. 

“So you have a husband?” Kravitz broke the silence.   
“Yeah. For a while now” Taako answered.   
“Was he the one that came look for you last night?”  
“Yeah. That’s Sazed”

“ Are you happy?” 

Taako’s hands stopped. Kravitz gathered his fur around his hands, ready to jump to the sea. The knife in Taako’s hand looked sharp, making the scar on his back ache with a bad memory. 

“I think. I’m not sure. I… we at least were happy” Taako dropped the knife by his side. The wedding ring on his finger was stained. He had not bothered to take it off for so long. Taako knew that if he took it off, he would see the beautiful carving of their wedding day and Sazed’s name inside the ring. 

***

Their wedding had been nice and small. Not that many people had even been invited. Magnus with his wife, Barry, and even a rare sight, a Taako’s relative, Aunt Orchid with her two children had arrived to the wedding. The children had trouble staying in their seats while aunt Orchid had just watched the ceremony, not once putting out her pipe. In the end, most of the seats had been taken by Sazed’s friends. But Taako hadn’t mind it. It was still positive attention. And that surely was what he had needed. Sazed’s friends had cheered and clapped as the newlyweds had read the vows to each other in front of the priest. Sazed had looked handsome in his black suit, and for once in his life he had combed his hair. Taako had felt beautiful in his white dress, with a crown made of lupines on his hair. A much wanted change for the black skirt he had worn for the last couple of months.

“I do”, Taako had said. And he had not lied. That moment, Taako had truly believed that he would love Sazed forever. And when Sazed had leaned closer to kiss him, Taako had truly felt loved. They had made a promise to each other to stand by their side. Taako loved him. Taako loved him so much. He had already helped him through so much, and when Sazed had dropped to the his knee and promised to buy him a house on top of the hill, he had no other option than to say yes. He didn’t want to say anything else than “Yes”

Magnus had cried through the ceremony, sobbing uncontrollably with Julia patting him on the back. Taako was happy to see a small smile on Barry’s face when he had wiped away the corner of his eyes as he silently clapped. The children had been more interested in the table full of goodies that was waiting for the wedding guests. 

Food had been, of course, Taako’s own cooking, and amazing as ever. Magnus and Julia had asked if Taako would be willing to do catering to their wedding as well and Taako had happily accepted offer. 

Aunt Orchid had proceeded to complain about their choice of priest. A dirty, hippie looking fella with mud under his fingernails in her opinion was not a fitting choice for such a ceremony. Even when Taako had tried to explain that mister Highchurch was their friend and he much rather had his marriage blessed by a friend than a stranger Orchid had just turned her nose up and muttered something how she was not surprised that others of their family had not shown up. Taako really had wanted to shout something mean about hoping that none of them had shown up, but Sazed had asked him to dance. 

While they had danced their wedding waltz, Barry had disappeared somewhere. Taako didn’t even realize it at first. His head was already spinning so much from the dancing and the alcohol, that one guest missing had hardly even passed his thoughts. Only when the others had joined the dance floor, giving Taako a good moment to rest his feet for a moment, had he noticed his brother in law missing. Magnus was too busy being spun in the air by Julia and Merle was in middle of a conversation with Orchid, which neither of them really seemed to enjoy. Taako looked around for awhile, before seeing the similar silhouette sitting in the shore.

“What the fuck are you doing now Barold?” Taako whispered to himself before starting to walk towards him. Taako knew that Barry wasn’t the biggest fan of big social gatherings, maybe he had just needed a breather? A small voice in Taako’s head however suggested a much worse scenario. 

“How’s it going? Wanna go dancing?” Taako smiled. He would have sat next to Barry but he had not wanted his beautiful dress to get dirty. 

“Oh Taako. Sorry. I just needed some time. I’ll be back soon”, Barry muttered. Taako sighed and patted Barry on the back. 

“If you want to go to take a nap, there is a bed in the guestroom. You’ve drank quite a lot Barold” he said. Barry’s shoulders quietly trembled under his hands and his hand was holding his necklace close to his heart. 

“ Do… do you think if I had proposed she would have said yes?” Barry whimpered, staring at his feet, avoiding Taako as much as he could.

“I’m sure she would have carried you down the aisle immediately”, Taako answered. He tried to keep his voice nice and even. This was his day. Last two ceremonies that he had attended had been in honor of his sister. They had been ceremonies to cry about her. This was supposed to be his day. His day to be happy. 

“ She would have looked beautiful”, Barry sighed. Taako nodded. Yeah sure they had had plans. A double wedding. Both Taako and her throwing their bouquets at the same time. They would have celebrated and been so loud that their happiness could be heard all the way from mainland. They would have so happy. 

So what? Plans had changed. Taako still wanted to be happy.

“Okay Barry. You know what? Sit here as long as you want. Come back when you are not making me sad anymore” Taako said dismissively and started to walk away, tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. 

“Taako, I didn’t mean…”

“Well then what the hell was your objective!? I’ve spent last half a year wallowing in my sorrow. Yes she is fucking gone and you were to much of a coward to ask her to marry you. That’s not my fault! Fucking let me be happy!” Taako’s hand fisted on his wedding dress as he tried to calm his breath. 

“ Do you really think Lup would had wanted us to cry about her death on my wedding day? This is my fucking day. Don’t ruin it for me!” 

***

“Taako?” 

Taako flinched under the sudden touch. His fingers were still wrapped around the wedding ring, tear flowing slowly from his eyes. 

“Oh my gods, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. I- I shouldn’t have asked! It’s just that usually when people call for selkies, they... “ Kravitz started to ramble, clumsily wiping Taako’s face with the back of his hand. Taako’s hands grabbed the selkie’s wrist gently. A small smile crept on to Taako’s face as he placed one Kravitz’s hands on his own cheek.

“It’s okay. It’s just..it’s been awhile since I have thought about that day” Taako sniffed.  
“I’m sorry Taako, I didn’t want you to feel bad” Kravitz whispered, leaning just an inch closer.   
“ It’s okay. But going back to your original question...I’m not sure. I can tell you the day I fell in love with him. I could tell you how much I did love him. It’s much more harder to pinpoint the day that I...didn’t anymore.” Now Taako found Kravitz’s hands gently combing his hair. It was something that Sazed had done a lot after Lup’s death. A familiar feeling of comfort and safeness. 

“Taako?” Kravitz asked carefully, when the elves breaths had started to become steadier again. The elves grip on his wrist had started to ease, before he finally dropped his hands by his sides.   
“ Taako. I want you to know that… I’m here to help. I don’t know how to, yet...but I’ll be here” Kravitz’s voice was calm and gentle. Sincere. Taako wanted to believe him.   
“Okay” Taako sniffed, leaning his head to Kravitz’s bare chest. He could hear Kravitz’s pulse starting to raise, as the selkie’s hands wrapped around his back.   
“I’ll have to go soon. Is it okay if I visit in the evening?” Kravitz asked, drawing slow circles on Taako’s back.   
“No, Sazed will be home. He is leaving tomorrow morning. He wants us to spent the evening together” Taako muttered. Kravitz nodded lifting Taako’s chin up with his thumb and index finger.   
“ Would the night be okay then?” he asked. Taako smiled, bit unsure  
“ I think that I can make up a lie to excuse myself for a nightly walk. I’ll bring the storm lantern. If Sazed wants to come with me, I won’t bring the lantern ” Taako explained, nudging himself from Kravitz’s embrace.   
“I’ll keep that in mind” Kravitz said, gathering his fur around his body again.   
“But you’ll come back, promise? I still want to know more about mister sharp teeth” Taako asked, reaching for the knife again. He knew that any minute, Sazed could come back home, and he still had a lot to do. Kravitz nodded, almost bowing his head to Taako.   
“I promise”

Kravitz pulled the hood of his fur over his head. Taako watched in awe as the seals eyes, that had been empty just a second ago, were now filled with the golden glimmer. And in a loud splash, he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


	4. Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sazed reminds Taako of an important thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter includes a scene of Sazed exploiting Taako's fear of water to manipulate, control and make him believe in things that are not true. This is done as a scare tactic. If you don't feel comfortable with these themes, I'd suggest you find something nicer to read. 
> 
> I have nothing say for my defense. Sorry this took almost half a year. I hope the next chapter will come sooner. 
> 
> I'm sorry

“How long will you be gone?” Taako asked, swirling the spoon in his soup.

“A month maybe. More if the weather allows it. But don’t worry, we’ll be okay” Sazed said and sipped his tea. Taako had lit up the candles on their table and Sazed had made the fire in their fireplace, filling their house with orange warmness. Taako still felt cold, even while trying to warm his fingers by wrapping them around his coffee cup. 

“You have enough food with you? And warm clothes?”

“Yes Taako, everything is prepared. This is not my first time at the sea” Sazed scoffed with a smile. Taako clicked his nails on the coffee cup.  
“I know. Doesn’t stop me from worrying” he chewed the last piece of fish that had been floating on his plate for too long. It was cold and tasteless.

He started to gathered the plates on the table, since Sazed had finished his food long ago. When reaching for Sazed’s plate, he Taako felt a small, sweet kiss on the his cheek. It made his ear flicker, and a blush rise on his cheek.  
“Let me”  
Sazed stood up from his chair and took the dishes from Taako’s hands. His hands felt warm against Taako’s own. A tiefling thing. As Sazed walked towards their kitchen sink, Taako could feel the tiefling tail wrapping around his own. Sazed lightly tugged their intertwined tails, beckoning Taako closer to him.

“Old trick” Taako smiled quietly, swinging his arms around Sazed’s neck, planting a small kiss on Sazed’s warm skin. Sazed giggled under the tickling kisses and leaned against their kitchen platform.

“Thank you so much for the dinner honey” Sazed whispered gently, lifting Taako’s chin up so he could kiss his husband on his lips. Taako answered with kissing back with force, leaning against Sazed who grabbed the edge of the platform for balance. The kisses on his lips felt overly sweet.

“So what’s for desert?” Sazed asked, still smiling against Taako.  
“Oh, I thought I was the dessert”  
“Old joke”  
“ Still got a laugh out of you”

****

Taako laid wide awake, eyes focused on a fly that was flying around their bedroom. Taako could easily kill it, if he wanted. A simple spell and that would be it. But it was a good activity to keep himself awake, while waiting for Sazed to fall asleep. When finally feeling Sazed’s tail’s grab around his waist easing, he started carefully unwrap himself from the warmth of blankets. Shallow breaths through the nose might have been an overkill, Sazed knew that Taako would sometimes sneak out at the night. Sometimes to say hello to Garyl or make sure that everything was alright. Last night had not been a first time Sazed had found Taako standing on the shoreline. Sometimes he just needed some alone time.

Sazed hated when Taako was alone. He would always nag him about it and talk about how he was worried. He would explain how he didn’t want Taako to hurt himself, how he wanted to protect him. And if it was the outside world he wanted to protect Taako from, he had done a good job. And it was okay, in some level Taako could understand it. He was away from home for long times, of course he would like to spend any free moment he got with his husband.

Taako didn’t see other people a lot. But it was okay. He had Sazed and when Sazed was away, he’d rarely leave the house.  
Sometimes Magnus would visit, but he had been doing that more rarely lately. And to Taako that was understandable. He had a family now, visiting an old friend was not that easy anymore. Or maybe Magnus hated him, he couldn’t tell. And he was not sure if he cared.

 

Dupree was snoring leaning against Taako’s leg. He felt bad for the dog when, even with all his efforts, he woke it up.  
“Sorry Dupree”, Taako whispered as quietly as he could, when the dog gave him a disappointed “mrr” and now curled next to Sazed. Taako sighed and scratched the dogs ear as an apology.

The floor felt cold under Taako’s bare feet. He stepped over the floorboard he knew would creak under his weight. He quickly grabbed the pants that were laying on the floor and pulled them on. Dupree’s eyes were following each little movement Taako made. When the elf’s hand reached for the door knob, the dog suddenly raised it’s head and started to wag it’s tail. A playful bark broke the silence Taako had worked so hard keep up.

With the dog’s tail tickling his nose and the bark interrupting his slumber, Sazed opened his eyes. Taako didn’t move. In his mind he cursed the dog, that now jumped from the bed and walked to Taako.

“Taako? What are you doing?” Sazed murmured and sat up with a big yawn.  
“ Nothing… I’m just going to go and check on the lambs quickly” Taako whispered, holding the doorknob in his hand. His ears twitched as he heard the sheets switched as Sazed stood up.  
“I’ll come with you. If we are awake for know, might as well spend it together.”

****

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Well he had warned Kravitz about this. He just hoped that Kravitz would remember not to come up to the dock. He seemed like a smart guy, he probably would not. It was a clear night outside anyway, he could easily come up with an excuse of being okay with just moonlight. And well, dark vision.

He didn’t wait for Sazed as he stepped to the cold night air, Dupree’s fur brushing against his leg as it rushed outside.

Sazed followed him as he started to walk towards the meadow their sheep slept at. They were all sleeping in a big pile, making it look like a living cloud had landed on their meadow. Once or twice a lamb would let out a small “baa” and nuzzle closer to it’s mother. Other than that, they seemed calm, sleeping soundly. They had no worries of love or relationships. Lucky bastards.

The old ram kept watch, only one awake. It stared at Taako as the elf twisted his tail around his calf.

“They are okay. We can go back to sleep” Taako whispered. Sazed put his hand on his shoulder. For some reason it made him flinch.  
“Let’s go to the shore. Just for a moment?”, the tiefling sighed, keeping his hand on Taako’s shoulder as they started to walk towards the shore. A romantic walk was not what Taako had expected when waking his husband from the slumber, but it would do. The cold, wet grass felt gross under his bare feet as the couple walked down the hill in silence. Taako already knew what was coming. Or at least had some good guesses.They were not going to address the fight, Sazed would say something he thought was wise and then they would go back to sleep. Sazed would not say that he was sorry. He would kiss Taako at least once and say something about how he was going to miss him. The basic stuff.

***

It was a clear night. On the waves, Taako could the small reflections of the stars, at least when the currents were not overtaken by the light of the lighthouse. The elf felt the hairs on his back rise when he noticed the large form of the seal on one the rocks. The yellow eyes stared at him, as Sazed lead him closer to the edge of the deck. Way too close to the deck than Taako felt comfortable with.

In one quick motion, Sazed turned Taako around, the heels of his feet now being just on the edge of the deck. He yelped, trying to keep his balance. Sazed’s hand was still firmly on his shoulder, and his tail now wrapped around one his legs. As an instinct, Taako tried to reach for Sazed, wrapping his fingers around Sazed’s arm. While the grip on his shoulder made it so that he wouldn’t fall to the waves below, it also kept him from getting any closer to Sazed.

Every fiber of his being told him not to look at the waves below. Or at least almost every fiber. One brain cell of his was daring enough to suggest a nice glance at the water. And Taako was dumb enough to act on the command.

Taako wanted to scream something, but he could not let out a voice. Too afraid that even the smallest puff of air would be enough to push him to waves below. He felt is body freeze up as it dawned on him. If Sazed would let go now, he would be taken under the current in seconds.

“Sa-sazed?” Taako managed to whisper, not being able to take his eyes away from the the way the white sea foam glittered, as the light hit it.

Sazed’s tail did just the smallest push as it let go of Taako’s leg. Taako felt a scream rising in his chest, before Sazed quickly pulled him back in to his embrace. Taako quickly scrambled for a way to hold him, wrapping arms around his back, trying his best to get him to move, so they would get as far away from the murky waters as they could. Small whimpers left his lips, as he begged for Sazed to move. He only found his fingers tracing on his jawline, as Sazed started to speak.

“Taako answer me a quick question and we can go home.”  
“ What you are saying dimwit?”  
Taako now felt Sazed’s nails digging a bit on the flesh of his jaw.  
“ What would have happened if I was not here? If I had not been the one to hold you?” Sazed’s pupilless eyes seemed to be looking for something specific behind Taako’s eyes. Taako could only imagine that he found what he was looking for when a warm smile crept on to his face.  
“I… I would have drowned.” For once Taako was grateful for the sea around him. A large splash seemed drown out the whisper of the last word.

“You would have drowned. World is like that. If you are not careful, you will drown Taako.” Every muscle on the elf’s body tensed. Gods he hated that word.

“ But that’s why I am here. I’ll keep you from drowning” Sazed smiled and kissed Taako’s cheek.

“ Others want to take you and pull you under the current. They want you to drown. But I won’t let them take you away from me”, Sazed whispered, sending more shudders down Taako’s body.

_That was bullshit ___

__Taako knew it was. Barry might be a downer sometimes, sure, but he would still help him. Taako knew if he was in danger, Magnus would jump right after him and save him. And Lup would…_ _

__But when you are scared out of your mind, you tend not to listen to the rational thoughts of your brain._ _

__“I’ll keep you safe Taako. In our house the waves won’t reach you. And when you are with me nothing else can hurt you either. Do you understand me?” It was not like Taako already felt like he was suffocating, now Sazed had pulled him in to tight hug._ _

__“Yes, Sazed”, Taako whispered, and Sazed finally let go. Taako rushed to the dry ground, and kept walking. Hill was safe. House was safe. House was away from the sea where he would drown._ _

***

__  
Sazed followed him slowly. He took his time to look at the night sky. It was Taako’s own fault he had needed a reminder. If he had not given it now, what would have happened when he was gone? Taako could be such an idiot sometimes.


	5. Breath in, breath out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz takes some time to think. Sometimes it's best to go talk with someone, instead of keeping all the thoughts to yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: There are some references to past abuse. They are vague , but still. Read with caution.
> 
> Also this was supposed to be a small interlude, but I got excited I guess.

It took Kravitz a moment for his muscles to relax again.Just a moment ago he had been ready to jump to Taako’s rescue again. To dive to the water, swim quickly just under the deck and make sure that the elf didn’t hurt himself, like he had just a day ago. But now, he only saw how the two figures on the dock embraced each other under the blinding streak of light. He couldn’t hear a word they were saying from the stone he was laying on top and his curiosity was growing. He quietly slid to the murky water and tried to make his way closer. He already knew where the net’s of Taako’s husband were, not wanting to tangle his backfin into the light thread. 

Kravitz didn’t want to take the risk of Sazed seeing him. Only when he was under the safe shadow of the dock, Kravitz raised his head above the water. He breathed the water out of his snout as quietly as he could and started to listen. Above him, he could see the two shadows. Silent words were traded back and forth, even if Sazed seemed to be one to ask the questions. 

“But I won’t let them take you away from me.”

Kravitz blew couple nervous bubbles underwater. The whiskers that were still above the water level twitched a little. 

Had Taako told about him? Had Sazed seen them? He missed the next sentence as few harder waves hit the deck. Next thing he could make out from the conversation above was Taako’s whimper of an agreement of some sorts. And then footsteps as they walked back to the ground. Kravitz dived down. It was easier to think in the dark depths. The constant motion of the waves helped his muscles to ease and his mind to think. 

Kravitz didn’t even know where he was going. It was just important to keep moving. He stayed underwater as long as he could. Only when his lungs started to finally burn from the lack of air, he raised to the surface and took a deep breath. 

Why had he even gone this far? Sazed was going to leave tomorrow, with logic, he should have just stayed near the dock and slept on the rock. Now he however found himself swimming farther and farther. Far enough so that the light wouldn’t hit the spots on his back anymore.

Far enough that the only thing that separated the dark sky from the water that mirrored it was that under the other, Kravitz could breath. And in that moment, he really preferred the pressure water was willing to give his lungs. It was a feeling he often missed. At least under water there was a natural reason to have a small fear tingle in the back of his skull. That fear was a natural instinct, based on facts. A fear he had always known of. Not a fear created and controlled by someone else. 

He opened his mouth a little and let bubble rise to the surface. Underwater or not, sometimes it was important to breath. That in the end was the only way to know which way was up in a perfectly mirrored, dark world. 

***

Safe was still there. A big pile of rocks, just in the middle of the sea. For many sailors it had probably been a source of hate and fear, but for Kravitz, it meant that he was far enough.  
He climbed on top of one the bigger rocks in front of the cave that had offered him a sense of security on many restless nights spent in fear and uncertainty. He wasn’t sure if he needed that security right now. 

He had hoped that the weather or something would have ruined the clothes he had left there last time. Though they certainly had not stayed in good condition, they were still there. Kravitz had hoped that someone else or something would have come and taken them away, but  
Waves had hit the stones for so long, they had become smoother and softer. It was easy to lay down comfortably. The rock did still feel natural, but there were no super sharp edges pushing in to him. Kravitz slid on his back, made sure that he could keep his balance and took his fur off. He kept his legs still inside the fur. It was not the warmest night after all, and the small breeze made the drops of sea water running on his back feel even colder.

He just layed there. Almost frozen. With the minimal light it was almost impossible to find the point where the stone stopped and the grey fur of his seal skin began. He wondered if he would now wrap tightly in his fur, maybe he could become a smooth rock with no fears or emotions. A statue of someone who will never be known. Somebody that sat here once, and didn’t want to leave. But world is cruel and stories about selkies turning in to stone are not really known anywhere. 

Kravitz reached for the worn, ragged white shirt laying on the rocks. Something had tried to tear through it, but he couldn’t remember if he had done it himself or if two seal cubs had found it and decided to play. Kravitz could still see that the weather still had not gotten rid off the bloodstains on the back of the shirt. Kravitz just tried not to remember where those stains had come from and threw the shirt to the water. 

For a moment it stayed afloat. Like a ghost, it stayed visible. Kravitz couldn’t help but to stare as the cold water sucked itself to the fiber. The sleeves flailed a bit in the current. In Kravitz’s tired eyes it almost looked like it was trying to get up. Kravitz looked, but didn’t help. 

More Kravitz sat on the rock, the worse he felt. He could not be alone now. he needed someone to talk with, staying here alone and just going through everything was not going to help him. 

Kravitz pulled the hood of his fur up again and dived to the water. It would not be a long swim. 

***

On the rocks near the beach slept a familiar, old seal. Kravitz remembered that it was the same one that had stolen fish from him when he was learning how to fish. His mom had bit him on the back fin and after that he had not really bothered them. A mother seal looked at Kravitz as he swam by, putting her fin protectively over her cub, who still had couple tufts of white hair on the head. Kravitz let out a small and friendly noise. They must have been the new neighbours. 

Gods it had been long since Kravitz had visited home. 

He still stayed in his seal form as he crawled to the sand on the beach by the cottage. His parents were asleep, he knew that, but he still let out a high pitch, long whine. A call cubs usually used to call for their mother. Glancing at the rock, he could see the mother seal rise it’s head in curiosity. No candles were lit up.And no one seemed to be coming out of the house. Kravitz couldn’t help but to feel a bit sad. So he would have to walk. Kravitz sighed and took his fur off, and started to take careful, light steps towards the house. 

He was still not that used to walking again. Of course he had been able to run around and gather seaweed for Taako a night ago, but even then, he had not taken that many steps. thank gods the journey from the seashore to the backdoor of the cabin was not long. 

Kravitz knew where the keys were, of course, but he still knocked. Even tho he knew that he would be free to enter the house whenever he wanted, it still felt like breaking an entering. The first knock he made was a weak one. He almost didn’t want to wake his parents up.  
But they had promised that if he ever needed help, he could come to their house, no questions asked. He took a deep breath and knocked harder. This time he was sure that someone heard. 

“Coming coming, who the…” he could hear silent mumbling from behind the door. Kravitz knew to take a step back. His mom had the tendency to not save her strength when opening doors. He couldn’t help when a warm smile crept on his face when he saw her mother again. 

A small, older woman stood on the doorway, holding a candle in her free hand. Her dark curls framed her face. The flickering light only highlighted her golden eyes that were filled with joy, as she recognized the nightly visitor

“Kravitz…” She whispered, before putting candle down on the windowsill and throwing her arms around her son. Kravitz felt a bit bad for getting her nightgown wet with seawater, but he pushed the thought away and just embraced her. She felt so much smaller, so much weaker than last time. He hoped that they had had luck with fishing, and her mother’s form was not the result of not eating enough. The thought that maybe it was Kravitz whose health was much better now, didn’t even cross his mind. 

“ I’m so glad to see you”, she whispered in to Kravitz's ear. Kravitz let go of the hug and quickly catched the tear that had started to make it’s way down his cheek.  
“I missed you too “ Kravitz hummed. 

“Oh but why are you still outside? Come inside! Do you want some dry clothes?” his mother chirped, lighting up some more candles around the kitchen. 

***

 

“ I… I’m not gonna be able to stay for long” Kravitz muttered. His mother just nodded.  
“I could still get you like a warm towel. We just washed the carpets, and seawater is not their best friend”, she mentioned. With couple long steps, she crossed the kitchen and took out a big and fluffy white towel from the closet by the hallway. Kravitz let his mother wrap it around his shoulders. His hands still held close to his seal skin, but he had to admit, the warm towel did feel a bit better. 

“Please, mom I’m not small anymore”, Kravitz laughed when she started to dry the streaks of water from his face with the corner of the towel. She had to stay on her tiptoes to reach his forehead, but that was not stopping her.  
“You might not be, but you still look like a seal cub, especially with that fluff around your face.” 

“Miriam? Who was at the door? Or was it actually the wind as I sai-” Kravitz’s ears perked as he heard a familiar yawn.  
“ Hi dad. Sorry about the bad visiting time”, Kravitz smiled and sat down on a red chair by the table. 

“ Yeah. I thought you knew better than to fish this late at the night”, the elven man smiled and gave his son a big, warm hug. It felt nice to be home, even just for a moment. 

“I’m gonna make us some tea and you can tell your worries”, he said and patted Kravitz on the shoulder. Kravitz nodded and lowered his gaze to his palms. 

“How did you guess I had worries on my mind?” Kravitz chuckled as his father in his usual fashion couldn’t find the kettle, even though Miriam had many times clearly stated where it was many times.  
“ People don’t usually swim up to their parents in the middle of the night, unless something is wrong, or they have had a bad dream Also you get the same look on your eyes as Efrain when he can’t find something”, mom said as she looked amused how her husband fumbled around the small kitchen. 

His father had always had hard time finding things he had lost. He had even met Kravitz’s mother by losing his coat in one stormy night, only to have a selkie rise from the ocean to give it back to him. His mother had always told him that their story might have started a bit wonky, her being the one to find the coat, but in the end, selkie or not, most important thing in a relationship was that they cared for each other. And watching as his mother clapped her hands half impressed when he finally found the kettle, the way they laughed and shared kisses,reminded him that there truly was love there.  
**

They talked a little bit about life. How the luck with fishing had not been the greatest, but they managed. His mother had started to knit again.The postman had brought them the wrong mail for weeks now, but since the lady next door had died a month ago, and was no longer there to receive her mail, there probably was no harm done. Word around here travelled as fast as the postman could run. And knowing mister Fredrikson, it was not that fast. 

Finally, as the kettle whistled, Kravitz finally managed to mutter out his worries.  
“ I’m going to help one person. He shed seven tears to the sea, and...I think he really needs me. Or someone, but I guess at the moment I am the best option…” Kravitz sighed. his mother offered him a cup of lavender tea.  
“ But like, I just don’t know. And I don’t know what they really want. They seem to at least have loved their husband dearly. But at the same time the way his husband treats him, it’s just… It doesn’t feel right” kravitz started to ramble. Miriam reached her hand over the table to gently squeeze at Kravitz’s own, 

“It’s okay dear. Let out what you think”, Miriam said softly, trying to offer some sort of comfort with a small smile.  
And with a small stutter of unsureness in his voice, he started to retell everything that had during the last days.  
“ Where is this person who is in need of your help?” Efrain joined the conversation, some tea leaves stuck to his mustache. 

“ Next to the lighthouse, on the hill. The small cottage up there” Kravitz answered.  
“ Oh so near the lighthouse of the D’richter’s family? The daughter of Viola has been taking care of the lighthouse after Istus passed, right Miriam? Was her name Lucretia?”, his father pondered.  
“ I’m pretty sure it was Lucretia dear. Kravitz look.” His mother paused for a moment, before reaching over to put her hands on Kravitz’s cheeks.  
“ Just because he asked for your help, doesn’t mean you are obligated to give it. And if you find out that you can’t help him, that’s okay too. I’m sure the Sea is not bothered, if couple drops of salt in her stay there forever. There are many beings whose cries for help never get answered” she paused and gently traced over a small cut on Kravitz’s brow. 

“And if he tries anything, if he tries to hurt you, anything, you can be sure that you are allowed to run away. You don’t owe them anything. Just run somewhere you can be safe. You have not failed Kravitz” Miriam said, pressing her forehead against her son’s. She took in a shaky breath.  
“If he hurts you, I promise, I will know and I will do my best so that he never hurts anyone again.” 

Kravitz gulped. He knew where this coming from. Some part of him wanted to hear that. But he still felt like the elf he had met had no ill intentions against him. 

“ Some stupid traditions of selkie’s before cannot be used to make the ones alive now miserable”, his father chimed in as he sat up and walked to Kravitz holding something. He was not sure when his father had stood up and actually found something, but that was besides the point. 

“ Take this.” Taking Kravitz’s hands, while her mother was still placing a kiss on his forehead. He felt something smooth and round on a string on his fingers.  
“ A pearl?”, Kravitz looked at the tiny thing in his hands. It was just an ordinary pearl, on a leather string.  
“ If anything bad happens, you can communicate it to us with this. Your mother and I used to talk with these when she had to go spend some time with the sea”, Efrain smiled and gently put the string around Kravitz’s neck. Kravitz smiled weakly.  
“ And remember that you are always free to come here to sleep. For a night, for a week, anytime you need. And we won’t ask any questions” his mother whispered and hugged him. His father soon joined in on the group hug. When they finally let go, when Kravitz finally stopped his rambling, that was half apologies, half thank yous, their tea had already gotten cold. 

***  
Kravitz found his mother putting out the candles, as the first strike of soft orange had started to appear on the horizon. 

“ I think I need to go now” Kravitz nodded, and a bit reluctantly took the warm towel off and started to walk towards the door with wobbly legs. 

“Stay safe dear. We love you” his mother smiled as she gave her last hug to her son.  
“ I will. And you two should stay safe too” Kravitz said and opened the door to the beach. 

The morning looked beautiful. There was a lot of fog on the water, but on the sky, only couple peach colored clouds sailed. Kravitz yelled his last goodbyes and started running. Webbed toes sank themselves to wet sand as Kravitz rushed to the cold morning water, the pearl trailing behind him. On the water he quickly dived down and in to his seal fur and started to swim. He had promised to be there by the morning. 

***

Sazed went through his rations once more. Bert had brought a lot food with him, his wife was so over protective. They could easily stay on the water for a while. And according to his other fisher buddies, no bigger storms were coming anytime soon, so Sazed felt confident. 

“Come on Sazed, raise the anchor already!” One of his boatmates yelled. So he did. The morning was absolutely beautiful. 

Everytime Sazed had turned his face towards the rocks he laid, Kravitz had felt a flinch. But now the boat had started moving. Kravitz stared as the the boat went on it’s way, slowly disappearing into the mist. When only thing he could make out was the vague outline, Kravitz swam up to the dock again. The boat in the mist looked more like something his father had described in a ghost story once. He took in a deep breath, shook some water from his whiskers and took off his fur once again and started waiting. At least he could watch the sun slowly creeping his way higher and higher in the sky, coloring it and the waves with his magnificent colors. 

Kravitz heard Taako approaching, but didn’t say anything.

“ I’m sorry I couldn’t make it last night”, Taako mumbled and sat down next to Kravitz. On his lap was a pile of clothes. 

“I- I wasn’t sure if you preferred skirts or pants so I brought you both. Take anything you like”, the tips of Taako’s ears were red as he dumped the clothes next to Kravitz. Oh god the selkie smiled again with that stupid warm smile of his. Taako stood up maybe a bit more faster than he had meant. 

“ If you want breakfast, I can cook you something up on the hill. If not then just… come up when you want” Taako said and pulled his hair in to a ponytail quickly. Kravitz looked through the clothes Taako had brought him. A mustard yellow sweater that looked very much handmade, a long, grey skirt, reddish brown pants and some boxers. Kravitz slung the seal for on his shoulder and pulled up the boxers, the grey skirt and the sweater. 

“Well, how do I look?” Kravitz did a small spin on the deck. 

“I’m glad the clothes fit you. Now umm… You did say that you were going to help me didn’t you? Do you want to come and see the lambs with me?”


End file.
